"Newbridge Chamber of commerce will strive to achieve accreditation of CCI. By March 1999. In order to meet the needs of the business community in the area of Newbridge and to promote industry in the town."

 Since May 1997 the committee have prepared an implementation plan to meet the criteria laid down by the Chamber of Commerce of Ireland.

The plan covers five areas,

To Meet the Criteria laid down By CCI. Newbridge Chamber will provide a range of services to the business community.

Chamber leased an office in Canning Place for one year from the 1^st of December 1997. Ms Brid Nolan was appointed office Manager on the first of December. Refurbishment of the office was completed in January 98 with the assistance of Michael Maher, FAS and John Delmer, County Co-ordinator for the Resource Centre for the Unemployed, Two additional staff Ms Tina Lakes and Ms Sharon Gorman were appointed to work for Chamber from the 5^th of January. Communication technology has been installed we will be connected to the Internet shortly and the chamber will be establishing its own Web Site this year. The office is now fully functional from Monday to Friday from 9.30pm to 1pm and from 2.00pm to 5.00pm.

Three seminars have been conducted to date. The first on Taxation was held after the Budget in December. The second was on the impact of the EURO was it was held in early February and the third related to the impact of the Year 2000 on Computers. A programme for the remainder of the year was published in April. Over four hundred businesses were personally notified for each of the seminars.

Chamber is now building up data basis for further development and this data base will assist us in getting a greater participation in Chamber Business community. We are particularly satisfied with the number of new members that have been willing to be co-opted onto the working committees.

The financial target for year one was to raise 20000 pounds as a once off operation to launch chamber. At this time we have reached 60% of our target and the balance has been committed. We are indebted to the business community for their support but substantial progress is yet to be achieved over the next year to achieve Accreditation of CCI. We will succeed with your help.